Coalition to Support Portfolios for High School Graduation

The Rhode Island Board of Education adopted regulations in October 2016 that support the use of portfolios and exhibitions to show "proficiency" as a pathway to graduate high school.
We support the use of portfolios and exhibitions as part of the pathway to a high school diploma. What can we do to help Florida and other states adopt similar laws to help students show that they are ready for life and the workplace? Call +1 (954) 646 8246 to join the list of supporters of this coalition.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

If you are a student who wants to make a video to support your digital portfolio, then watch this video to find out "what not to do" and "what to do."TO DOInclude some visual images. The image of the book got my attention.Move aroundDO NOT DO THISSit there and there is ONLY YOUR face that moves. Click here to see morehttps://vimeo.com/130538658

Monday, January 8, 2018

HERE IS SOME EXCELLENT ADVICE: "By starting out with a simple Google Drive (or SkyDrive) folder, you can eventually give the students a choice down the road of what platform they want to create their digital portfolio so they can share it with the world. Here is where students will make their own websites using WordPress.com, Weebly.com, Wix.com, Squarespace.com, and many more options."From AJ JulianiI found that the Google Sites software is a simple option. I've described the 11 steps at TINYURL.com/FWPstart for the Free Website Project. The design is based on High Tech High (SEE LINK) in San Diego, where I learned from two students how they assemble their portfolios. TIP: Search "bill gates and oprah visit high tech high"

You might have heard some of these names. If you are a parent, this blog post is my attempt to let you into the world of "transforming education."

What is "the transformation of education"?Here's an excerpt from a blog post by Dr. Fischler (dated July 2006).

The Problem

At the present time, teachers are working hard but we are still not fulfilling the demands of our students or our society. Why not? The schools are set up with an agrarian calendar and teachers are responsible for teaching to a class as a unit. Time is fixed and the only variable is performance – some pass and others fail. And, if the persons who fail do not make up and achieve the proficiency that the test is measuring, they drift further and further behind. The consequences are numerous and punishing. How does this instill a love of learning? This approach does not take into account a truism: ‘all students can learn but they learn at different rates and have different preferential learning styles’.

Instead of asking the student to fit the administrative structure (i.e., the class and arbitrary time periods for learning subjects and achieving competencies), we must provide each student with the time and means to succeed. Rather than punish the student who learns more slowly than the arbitrarily chosen period, we must treat each student as the class.

We must find a way of doing this. Other industries have made similar changes* and it is now time for education to do the same.

*Take FedEx, who can tell you where any package is at any time. Look at banking, which is now available 24 hours a day through ATMs and you can go to almost any ATM to withdraw or deposit funds. Both industries invested in information and delivery systems to meet the needs of their clients rather than asking their clients to accommodate to a fixed structure. Now the automobile industry is enabling customers to order on demand rather than requiring them to accept whatever is available in the dealer’s lot. In the business world, however, there is competition that requires companies to adapt – education has not had this catalyst.

What is my vision and strategy for educational change?

I believe that we in education must make the investment to do the same for our clients, i.e., each student. What investment is needed?

There are three modes of instruction: 1) self-paced or CAI, 2) project or problem-solving and 3) discussion. Self-paced or CAI requires that each student have access to a computer and modem and access to the curriculum on a server on a 24/7 basis. Projects and problems should be relevant to students so they can relate to the given subject area.

For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the 1st grade (and continue thereafter). The reason English and Math are chosen is that these are the two cultural imperative languages. If you know these two languages and are motivated as a self-learner, you can teach yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of the goals of education is to create self-learners.

For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or problem that is relevant to the student. Once the problem is defined, the class can be broken down into groups of 4-5 students in order to research the solution to the problem. If complex, each of the groups may study an aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the student uses the computer as a research tool (after having learned to read). Students are taught to use search engines such as Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet made available by teachers gathering information relevant for the students.

Students working in a group learn cooperation, shared responsibility and communication (face-to-face as well as e-mail). Having produced a written solution to the problem utilizing the computer (power point) as a tool, they can then present to the class for discussion. They can also use email or a written report to other students as well as the teacher.

Arbitrary learning within fixed time periods would be eliminated, i.e., no 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. grades. Instead, students would be grouped chronologically with materials appropriate to their learning level and style using the CAI approach for English and Math, and the project/problem/discussion modes for other subjects. The projects given to the students match the level of English and Math competencies and are related to the students (their interests and their lives). For example, in 3rd grade, how would you study the amount of water that a plant needs to grow? I would utilize the students’ Math knowledge (learned through CAI) for science learning. Likewise, rather than studying history through memorization and chronology, it can be studied through problems based on the immediate environment for younger children and more abstract concepts in later grades.

What do we need to make this happen?In order for this to be implemented, what do we need?

1) We need the people on board – parents, teachers, community leaders, etc.2) We need the hardware – computers with modems and Internet access for each student.3) We need the management system (many existing solutions can be adapted).4) We need the curriculum – Computer Assisted Instructions (CAI) for Math and English and creative, relevant problems and projects for other subjects.5) We need teacher training.

The procedures to "transform education" need to be listed. Ken Robinson has some of the procedures in his book Creative Schools.See the blogs of George Couros, John Spencer, AJ Juliani.The writings of Gordon Dryden.
Here are 16 procedures that I've collected in a free download: www.TINYURL.com/sun5Procedures.

Dr. Amen has a list of “things to do to increase blood flow to the brain” in his book, Magnificent Mind at Any Age.

Procedure 15: Invite students to serve each other with clicks.

Let’s teach students skills that they can use in the real world. Let’s give them opportunities to take the initiative and create jobs for themselves. Let’s ask them to find a service that they enjoy doing for others. Turn that service into a website and advertise their service. Let’s show student show to make money before they earn their diploma.

Procedure 16: Quotes of the Day

Offer students items to look at before they go to sleep.

Any of these procedures will help. Put several together and you'll transform a school.

makes these observations (in courier) SEE HIS ORIGiNAL BLOGPOST (I have annotated his post here with excerpts and links to other materials -- Daniel's resources list will help teachers who want to start using portfolios)

We at Mouse view portfolios and badges — in both their digital and physical forms — as central to our mission of closing the opportunity divide within technology.

.... In Kentucky, a national petri dish for system-wide educational change after theKentucky Education Reform Actin ’90, we looked at the work already being done in Vermont: the Vermont Portfolio Assessment Program started in late 1980s, with evaluation led byDaniel Koretz.

National education, government, and industry groups paid attention to the concepts, as the digital revolution began to upend traditional occupations and the idea of a “knowledge economy” with a “creative class” began to gain currency. Let's think about alternative credentials and portfolios ...

So, a call to action for admissions officers and registrars at colleges and universities: please help us together build a system of badges and portfolios that will help get many more young Americans to postsecondary education, and above all, into the majors, minors, internships and co-curriculars most appropriate for each individual.

HERE IS THE KEY PITCH: We ask universities and colleges to endorse and eventually grant credit to badges and portfolios, not to replace but to complement & supplement traditional transcripts.

Additional Resources:

Digital Promise and LRNG are among the national groups that have emerged in the new millennium to continue the evolution of badges and portfolios.

TIP TO TEACHERS: Read these reports and allow the information to inform your lesson planning. Build a culture of portfolios. "How does today's classwork build something that the studnets can display in their portfolios?" If the classwork is part of a bigger project, then keep it. If it's just a worksheet, scrap it.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Personalized education happens when teachers resist the "command and control" and instead "Commend and Listen." Joe DeMarino's book Personalized Learning (available on Amazon with LARGE SECTIONS availalbe in the "Look Inside" feature) covers some of the attitudes of the teachers who encourage students to personalize their expereicne in High School. See the link at TinyURL.com/demartinopersonalized and TINYURL.com/sunpersonalizedHere are some of the excerpts. The introduction is heart-breaking. The section about attitudes of teachers who promote personalized learning comes below. Keep scrolling until you hit the words "ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS"THE INTRODUCTION